Physical has no sympathetic hero. All characters are complex, with traumas and frustrations guiding their decisions and Sheila (Rose Byrne) is perhaps the ‘worst’ of them because her facade of a good mother and wife collides with the true woman that she is only now managing to express. In the final season, it is, finally, her arduous attempt to ‘improve’ as a person.

That said, her inner voice of self-destruction now projects her arch-rival Kelly Kilmartin (Zooey Deschanel), and what is different is precisely knowing that Sheila has been making an effort to overcome bulimia and she does not depend only on goodwill. In Burning Up, the internal duel she has within herself, when every time she moves towards the ‘cure’, the ‘voice’ demonizes and shames her, making it difficult for her to focus. At the same time, for the first time in control of herself, she is navigating a new social and personal universe, where she doesn’t have to please anyone but herself.

Success on television also affects the relationships around it. Greta (Dierdre Friel) is also getting on the path of independence from her husband, which will clearly be synonymous with a crisis. She and Sheila are approached by a fat-free cookie brand that wants to partner with their brand, creating a business opportunity. All but the husbands stuck in the past are trying to change, including Maria (Erin Pineda) and John Breem (Paul Sparks).

The message of the season is precisely to show that making choices, setting limits, and “improving” are painful processes, constantly challenged, and that demand physical effort as much as psychological effort. It seems that the idea of annihilating the competition has been put aside and Physical bets more on positivity. Why do our inner voices still want to suffer?

Search

Search